CN107000971B

CN107000971B - Intelligent building system for performing actions based on user device detection

Info

Publication number: CN107000971B
Application number: CN201580068508.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: A.查普曼; B.A.斯科维尔; P.A.辛奇克; E.C.彼得森; D.F.科米内利; H-K.斯皮尔鲍尔
Original assignee: Otis Elevator Co
Current assignee: Otis Elevator Co
Priority date: 2014-12-15
Filing date: 2015-12-15
Publication date: 2023-01-24
Anticipated expiration: 2035-12-15
Also published as: WO2016100293A1; US20170349402A1; US10683190B2; CN107000971A; EP3234875A1; EP3234875B1

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and/or method of establishing a proximity environment relative to an elevator and detecting a location of a user device within the proximity environment. Further, the systems and methods determine a source floor and a destination floor corresponding to the user device and generate an elevator call to the elevator from the source floor and the destination floor.

Description

Intelligent building system for performing actions based on user device detection

Background

The present disclosure relates generally to intelligent building systems for performing operations based on user device detection. More specifically, the present disclosure relates generally to intelligent building systems that utilize geofence thresholds and elevator group locations to detect user devices and implement operations based on actions and/or movements of user devices relative to the geofence thresholds and elevator group locations.

Existing building systems, such as elevator systems, require a user to physically interact with the system. For example, a user of an elevator can enter an elevator call by pressing a button (e.g., a hall call) or entering a destination (e.g., a destination call). These systems do not schedule service for the user until the user is physically present at the elevator input. Systems that identify the location of a user and pre-schedule services for the user would be well received in the art.

Summary of the invention

According to one embodiment of the invention, a method comprises: establishing a proximity environment with respect to the elevator; detecting a location of a user device within the proximity environment; determining, by a processor, a source floor and a destination floor corresponding to a user device; and generating, by the processor, an elevator call to the elevator as a function of the source floor and the destination floor.

In another embodiment or the above embodiments, the determining a source floor and a destination floor of the method may further comprise: user preferences corresponding to a user device are accessed, the user preferences indicating a source floor and a destination floor.

In another embodiment or in any of the above embodiments, the determining a source floor and a destination floor of the method may further comprise: pre-requests received before the user device passes through the proximity environment are processed.

In another embodiment or in any of the above embodiments, the proximate environment may be a plurality of virtual perimeters.

In another embodiment or in any of the above embodiments, each virtual perimeter may be dynamically generated around a predefined set of boundaries with respect to the elevator.

In another embodiment or in any of the above embodiments, the generating an elevator call to an elevator of the method may further comprise: an elevator call to the elevator is generated after the proximity system detects that the user device is within a predetermined distance from the elevator.

In another embodiment or in any of the above embodiments, the method may further comprise transmitting the elevator call to a user device.

In another embodiment or in any of the above embodiments, the generating an elevator call to an elevator of the method may further comprise: an arrival time of the user device at the elevator is determined in response to the motion of the mobile device.

Another embodiment or any of the above embodiments may be implemented in a system comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is configured to: establishing a proximity environment with respect to the elevator; detecting a location of a user device within the proximity environment; determining a source floor and a destination floor corresponding to a user device; and generating an elevator call to the elevator based on the source floor and the destination floor.

In another embodiment or in any of the above embodiments, in relation to the determining the source floor and the destination floor, the processor may be further configured to access user preferences corresponding to user devices, wherein the user preferences indicate the source floor and the destination floor.

In another embodiment or in any of the above embodiments, with respect to the determining the source floor and the destination floor, the processor may be further configured to process a pre-request received before the user device passes through the proximity environment.

In another embodiment or in any of the above embodiments, in connection with the generating an elevator call to an elevator, the processor may be further configured to generate an elevator call to an elevator after the proximity system detects that the user device is within a predetermined distance from the elevator.

In another embodiment or in any of the above embodiments, in relation to the generating an elevator call to an elevator, the processor is further configured to: an arrival time of the user device at the elevator is determined in response to the motion of the mobile device.

Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present invention. Other embodiments and aspects of the invention are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the invention. For a better understanding of the invention with advantages and features, refer to the description and to the drawings.

Brief Description of Drawings

The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a schematic diagram of an intelligent building system according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a process flow of an intelligent building system according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of another schematic diagram of an intelligent building system according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 illustrates another process flow of the intelligent building system according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a computing device schematic of an intelligent building system, according to one embodiment.

Detailed Description

Embodiments relate to intelligent building systems that implement operations that assist a user of a user device based on actions and/or movements of the user device relative to an elevator subsystem (e.g., a geo-fence threshold and an elevator group location) of the intelligent building system.

In general, embodiments of the invention disclosed herein can include intelligent building systems, methods, and/or computer program products (referred to herein as "intelligent building systems") that utilize elevators, elevator lobbies, and/or elevator groups to establish proximity and/or geofences such that when a user device is associated with an elevator subsystem of the intelligent building system, the intelligent building system can perform operations and/or send signals to other systems and subsystems that assist the user of the user device. Examples of other systems and subsystems may include parking facilities, security systems, home automation systems, automotive service systems, travel indication systems, and the like. Examples of operations and/or signals may include generating an elevator call, triggering a parking payment, sending a parking person retrieval request, enabling or disabling a security alert, enabling or disabling lights in a home, enabling or disabling a home appliance, sending a taxi or car service request, notifying an airline system, providing a notification to a user, and so forth. The intelligent building system and elements therein can take many different forms and include multiple and/or alternative components and facilities. It should be noted that negative triggers are also possible, e.g. cancelling an elevator call in case the user leaves the vicinity of the elevator landing before the elevator arrives or in case the user cannot proceed towards the initially calculated target.

For example, the intelligent building system may include an elevator subsystem that includes an electromechanical arrangement (e.g., a controller and/or computing device in communication with at least one motor) that controls speed, position, and door operation of an elevator or elevator group. The controller of the elevator subsystem can generate and monitor (or communicate with other systems and subsystems through any network communication technology that can generate and monitor) the proximity and/or geo-fenced environment so that the elevator subsystem can operate an elevator or elevator bank when the user device interacts with the geo-fenced environment. The elevator subsystem may also communicate directly with the user device and/or with the user device using a proximity system.

The adjacent and/or geo-fence environment is a plurality of geo-fences, each of which is a virtual perimeter that can be dynamically generated around a geographic location, and/or a predefined set of boundaries, such as in the form of a radius around an elevator, elevator lobby, and/or elevator group, or in the form of proprietary and municipal boundaries. Geofences can be generated and monitored by any detection, communication, and/or location technology, such as global positioning system ("GPS"), radio frequency identification ("RFID"), near field communication ("NFC"), short wave radio, proximity systems, bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons, and the like.

Referring now to fig. 1, an exemplary schematic diagram of an intelligent building system 100 is shown. The intelligent building system 100 is only one example of an intelligent building system and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or operation of embodiments of the invention described herein (in fact additional or alternative components and/or implementations may be used). The intelligent building system 100 includes a building 102, a door 103, an elevator subsystem 105, an elevator 106, and a proximity and/or geo-fence environment ("geo-fence environment") including geo-

fences

112, 114, 116. Further, the smart building system 100 illustrates a plurality of

user devices

122, 124, 126, each of which is shown at a plurality of different locations within the smart building system 100, the locations indicated by the capital letters a-E. Then, the intelligent building system 100 and/or the

user devices

122, 124, 126 can reactively perform operations when one of the

user devices

122, 124, 126 enters or exits any of the geo-

fences

112, 114, 116.

The

user devices

122, 124, 126 may be implemented using devices with short-range and/or long-range communication and location services (e.g., mobile phones with GPS functionality). The users may be individually identified based on one or more identifiers stored in the

user devices

122, 124, 126. The

user devices

122, 124, 126 can provide information such as destinations, preferred floors, target floors, device locations, device movements, source floors, and/or other preferences and data, which can also be received and stored in the elevator subsystem 105. In this way, the intelligent building system 100 utilizes this information to enhance and improve indoor routing. It should be noted that the roles of the elevator subsystem 105 and the geo-fenced environment can include

multiple user devices

122, 124, 126 detecting and processing signals broadcast by the elevator subsystem 105 and/or the geo-fenced environment. In turn, one or more of the plurality of

user devices

122, 124, 126 can issue a command (e.g., a command originating from the

user device

122, 124, 126) to the elevator subsystem 105.

For example, if a GPS in communication with the elevator subsystem 106 detects that the first user device 122 has crossed the geofence 112 by moving from location a to location B, the elevator subsystem 105 can automatically call the elevator 106 or perform an elevator call to a lobby of the building 102 such that the elevator 106 is waiting for a user after the first user carrying the first user device 122 has walked through the door 103 to location C. In this way, GPS is a "personal locator" that reports location to the elevator subsystem. Thus, the first user can proceed to position D without any delay due to waiting for an elevator.

Accordingly, a proximity and/or geo-fence environment may be implemented with respect to an elevator lobby to identify user devices and source floors of those devices such that the identity of the user devices and the source floors are utilized to calculate destination floors and/or a common destination for multiple users to output the fastest elevator route. In this way, the intelligent building system 100 can detect when multiple users enter the geo-fenced environment and calculate the most efficient pattern for sending all users to their respective floors based on different groups and different floors. Further, when the preferences associated with the identity of the user device do not accurately reflect the user's destination, an override may be presented to the user so that the user may instruct the intelligent building system 100 through the user device for where they want to go. The preferences and/or user information may originate from a device or stored on the intelligent building system 100 so that destination information, such as meeting locations, may be utilized to determine a destination. The preferences may also be preset by the user, as described further below.

In another example, if a proximity subsystem connected to the elevator subsystem 105 detects that the second user device 124 is within the geofence 114 by moving from location a to location B (e.g., the user has exited the elevator 106), the elevator subsystem 105 can automatically trigger a notification or prompt on the second user device 124 that verifies whether the second user is leaving the building 102. If the second user indicates that they do not leave the building and/or the elevator subsystem 105 detects that the second user device 124 has moved from location B to location C (e.g., to speak to a front attendant), then the elevator subsystem 105 may take no action. However, if the elevator subsystem 105 detects that the second user device 124 has moved from location C to location D, and then from location D to location E through the door 103, or directly from locations B, D and E (e.g., to exit the building 104), the elevator subsystem 105 can thus communicate with and activate the safety systems of the apartments in the building 102 without having the second user directly activate the safety systems.

In another example, if a GPS in communication with the elevator subsystem 105 detects that the third user device 126 has entered and exited the geofence 114 by moving from location a through location B to location C, the elevator subsystem 105 may remain passive as the third user may not need to interact with the intelligent building system 100. In this way, GPS devices are only self-aware; any recognition of the third user's entry will be cooperatively reported to the central node or elevator subsystem 105 via the user's portable GPS device.

In another example, the roles of the elevator subsystem 105 and the geo-fenced environment can be reversed using

multiple user devices

122, 124, 126, as the beacons of the geo-fenced environment can broadcast signals that are detected and processed by one or more of the

multiple user devices

122, 124, 126. One or more of the plurality of

user devices

122, 124, 126 then issues a command (e.g., a command originating from the user device) to the elevator subsystem 105. Further, while the proximity and/or geo-fence environment can assist indoor routing, direct communication between the plurality of

user devices

122, 124, 126 and the elevator subsystem 105 can enable embodiments without a proximity and/or geo-fence environment, such that the elevator 106 itself can notify the user of a vertical position change.

An example of a set of operations of the intelligent building system will be described with reference to fig. 2. Fig. 2 illustrates a process flow 200. Process flow 200 begins with start block 205 in which intelligent building system 100 is initialized for detecting user devices (e.g., 122, 124, and 126). In this manner, the intelligent building system 100 is ready to process operations responsive to device actions and/or movements relative to the geo-fence threshold and elevator group location of the intelligent building system 100.

Subsequently, at block 210, at least one user device of at least one potential elevator passenger is detected within the geofence environment (e.g., user device 122 moved from location a to location B and across geofence 112). Next, at block 215, an application located on the user device 122 may be launched and initialized. This initialization helps to connect the potential elevator passenger to the intelligent building system 100 in advance so that the interaction with the elevator subsystem 105 is immediate and the potential elevator passenger will not wait for other communication technology connections. From the perspective of the intelligent building system 100, the application is optionally started and initialized, as indicated by the dashed box 210.

Then, at block 220, the intelligent building system 100 calculates the walk time from location B to the front of the elevator 106. That is, the walk time can be calculated once the user enters the geofence 112, and coupled with other sensor data. Further, the walking time can be calculated as related to the rate at which the user device 112 crosses each

geofence

122, 114, 116. Other sensor data, such as user device accelerometer information, may be provided to the intelligent building system 100 from an application located on the user device 122 or received by the intelligent building system 100 to support walking speed estimation by the intelligent building system 100 that gives more accurate walking time. It should be noted that because the intelligent building system 100 has detected a potential elevator passenger as he walks to elevator 106, the user changes identity as a potential elevator passenger to the assumed/confirmed elevator passenger.

The process flow 200 next proceeds to block 225 where the elevator subsystem 105 generates a call to the elevator 106. For example, the intelligent building system 100 utilizes the detection of the user device 122 from block 210 and the walking time calculation from block 220 to determine when an elevator user will arrive at the elevator 106 and initiate a request to use the elevator 106 on behalf of the user without requiring the elevator user to interact with the user device 122. It should be noted that based on the user entering the first geo-fence 112, the intelligent building system 100 determines that the elevator user is approaching the elevator 106 from a particular source floor (e.g., via a predetermined setting indicating which floor or where the first geo-fence 112 is installed on the building 102), and the intelligent building system 100 can also access a preferred floor and/or other elevator preferences. The user's preferred floor and/or other elevator preferences may be stored in the elevator subsystem 105 or on the user's device 122. The user may be individually identified based on one or more identifiers stored in the user device. In this way, this information (e.g., user location, movement, source floor, destination floor, etc.) is useful for the intelligent building system 100 to reduce the number of nuisance calls and improve elevator performance calls. It should be noted that the user is individually identified as being involved only in the elevator control system; the actual personal identity of the user may remain anonymous.

As another example, when an elevator user approaches an elevator 106 (e.g., an elevator bank), the intelligent building system 100 detects the approach of the user device 122 toward the elevator 106 through a proximity system. The proximity system may be any location or distance detection system, examples of which include a plurality of beacons that communicate by any radio, optical, ultrasonic or other technique to determine the location, direction and speed of the device in space. In an exemplary embodiment, the beacon uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to detect the presence of the user device and interact with the user device 122.

As another example, when users of

user devices

122, 124, 126 are not near building 102 (e.g., at home, on a subway, or in a grocery store queue), the users may enter elevator calls in advance (e.g., providing destination floor information) at their convenience, and if those

user devices

122, 124, 126 can use valid GPS signals and a cellular network, then the distance to elevator 106 is measured. Subsequently, if the distance is greater than the defined limit, the call request is automatically defined as a pre-request. The pre-request contains both the source floor and the destination floor and can be immediately sent to the elevator subsystem 105 via the cellular network. The elevator subsystem 105 can set the pre-request to a user preference, check if the call is valid (e.g., the user has access to the requested floor), and/or respond to the user with immediate feedback. The elevator subsystem 105 remembers or stores the pre-requested call and later automatically re-enters this call in the form of a real call request when the corresponding user device approaches the elevator 106 (e.g., within a geo-fence environment). The elevator subsystem 105 then dispatches the elevator 106 to satisfy the user after the user arrives at the elevator 106, and automatically enters their destination call. In this way, passengers do not have to fiddle with their phones as they approach the building. If a valid GPS signal is not available, the call request may be automatically stored as a pre-request within the

user device

122, 124, 126. Subsequently, the pre-requested call may be input as a real call request when the corresponding user device approaches the elevator 106 (e.g., within a geo-fence environment).

Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary schematic diagram of a proximity system 301 of the intelligent building system 100. The proximity system 301 is only one example of a device detection system and is not intended to imply any limitation as to the scope of use or operability of embodiments of the invention described herein (in fact additional or alternative components and/or implementations may be used). The proximity system 301 comprises an elevator group 305 comprising three

elevators

106a, 106b, 106c and a plurality of beacons 307 detecting the F location of each

user device

122, 124, 126. Further, the proximity system 301 illustrates a plurality of beacons 307 in a plurality of different positions relative to the elevator bank 305, indicated by the numbers 1-4 and the lower case letters a-c. In an exemplary embodiment, the beacon uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to detect the presence of the user device and interact with

user devices

122, 124, and 126.

The proximity system 301 may estimate the proximity of an elevator user to the elevator 106 based on the detection of the user device 122. Then, at some distance (e.g., within fifteen feet), the elevator subsystem 105 can initiate a request to use the elevator 106 on behalf of the user without requiring the elevator user to interact with the user device 122. Further, the intelligent building system 100 may confirm that: whether the user's walking time X requires a delayed elevator call (e.g., user device 126 at location F); since the elevator user has arrived at elevator 106 (e.g., user device 124 at location F), the user's walking time requires an immediate elevator call; whether the elevator user has taken the elevator 106 (e.g., the user device 122 at location F), and so on. In this way, the location of the user devices is triangulated with a subset of beacons 307.0-307.3 relative to elevator group 305, while each beacon 307a, 307b, 307c detects a user device within the

corresponding elevator

106a, 106b, 106c.

It should be noted that while the proximity system 301 (e.g., a geo-fence environment) can notify the user device of a floor change because the proximity system 301 is configured to know which floor it is on, in other embodiments the elevator subsystem 105 directly notifies the user device of a floor change because the elevator subsystem 105 is maintaining the elevator location very accurately.

In operation, for example, the proximity system 205 may also be utilized to augment indoor routing. The maps on the

user devices

122, 124, 126 may be updated in real time as the

user devices

122, 124, 126 detect the various beacons 307. Further, the proximity system 205 may be utilized to detect people and/or provide notifications containing information about the location of the

user devices

122, 124, 126, queries about floor destinations, authorized queries (as described below), and the like. Further, the notification may be communicated directly between the intelligent building system 100 and the

user devices

122, 124, 126, and/or indirectly through a third party network.

Additionally, the proximity system may provide the user's source floor (e.g., via a predetermined setting indicating which floor or location of the building 102 the proximity system is installed at), while the user device 122 provides a preferred floor and/or other elevator preferences. As described above, the user's preferred floor and/or other elevator preferences may be stored in the elevator subsystem 105 or on the user's device 122. The user may be individually identified based on one or more identifiers stored in the user device. In this manner, this information (e.g., user location, movement, source floor, destination floor, etc.) is useful for the intelligent building system 100 to reduce the number of nuisance calls and improve elevator performance calls, as elevator calls may be cancelled when the user is not already engaged, or the user may be registered as a passenger after the engagement.

For example, when the proximity system 301 detects each of the plurality of

user devices

122, 124, 126, the elevator subsystem 105 of the smart building system 100 can use dispatch heuristics to accept/process elevator call requests from the

user devices

122, 124, 126. Dispatch heuristics are optimization programs used by the elevator subsystem 105 to calculate elevator travel time, such that individuals traveling to nearby floors are aggregated into groups and directed to the same elevator to reduce wait and travel time.

Fig. 4 illustrates a process flow 400 of the intelligent building system 100 utilizing user location, movement, source floor, destination floor, etc. in assignment heuristics to calculate elevator travel time and assign one of the

elevators

106a, 106b, 106c. Process flow 400 begins at start block 405 with initialization of the proximity system 301 of the intelligent building system 100 for detecting user devices (e.g., 122, 124, and 126). Also, at block 405, applications located on the

user devices

122, 124, 126 are launched and initialized while the products of these devices are within the geo-fence environment as described above. The proximity system 301 and the

user devices

122, 124, 126 then communicate to facilitate immediate interaction with the elevator subsystem 105 after reaching the elevator bank 305.

At block 410, the proximity system 205 detects the

user devices

122, 124, 126 at respective F locations. That is, the proximity system 205 locates the user device 122 on the elevator 106c via the beacon 307 c; the proximity system 205 triangulates the user device 124 as a location F in front of the elevator bank 305 via a subset of beacons 307.0-307.3; and the proximity system 205 triangulates the user device 126 via a subset of beacons 307.0-307.3 as a location F that is a distance of the walk time X from the elevator bank 305.

At block 415, the elevator subsystem 105 of the intelligent building system 100 calculates an optimal elevator travel time for the

user device

122, 124, 126 from the respective F location, source floor, and destination floor. For example, because user device 122 is on elevator 106c and user device 124 is in front of elevator group 305 (e.g., any elevator ready to board elevator group 305), elevator subsystem 105 may provide elevator 106c to user device 124 if

user devices

122 and 124 have the same destination floor. If

user devices

122 and 124 have different destination floors, elevator subsystem 105 may provide user device 124 with a different elevator, such as elevator 106b, while continuing to operate elevator 106c without causing an interruption to user device 122. Further, if

user devices

124 and 126 have the same destination floor and if the walking time X is less than or equal to the time it takes to deliver one of the remaining

elevators

106a, 106b to user 124, elevator subsystem 105 may provide elevator 106a or elevator 106b to both

user devices

122 and 124. Otherwise, after the device arrives at elevator bank 305, elevator subsystem 105 can provide elevator 106a or elevator 106b to user device 124 and provide the remaining elevators to user device 126 (e.g., based on walking time X).

Once each

elevator

106a, 106b, 106c has been associated with each

user device

122, 124, 126, the intelligent building system 100 can communicate these associations to the

user devices

122, 124, 126. Each

user device

122, 124, 126, in turn, can prompt for a notification indicating that an elevator has been assigned and other elevator information (e.g., elevator assignment) that can be fed back to the

user device

122, 124, 126 and/or displayed to the passenger. The user may then interact with the prompt at block 420, for example, by indicating confirmation or cancellation of the elevator call. If the intelligent building system 100 does not receive an acknowledgement or cancellation, the elevator subsystem 105 may continue operating and delivering the elevator as determined in block 415. Otherwise, at block 425, the elevator subsystem 105 can recalculate the delivery and path of each

elevator

106a, 106b, 106c.

Referring now to fig. 5, an exemplary schematic diagram of a computing device of the intelligent building system is shown. The intelligent building system 510 is only one example of a suitable computing node and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or operation of embodiments of the inventions described herein (in fact additional or alternative components and/or implementations may be used). That is, the intelligent building system 510 and the elements therein may take many different forms and include multiple and/or alternative components and facilities. Further, the smart building system 510 may include and/or employ any number and combination of computing devices and networks that utilize the various communication technologies as described herein. Regardless, the smart building system 510 is capable of being implemented and/or performing any of the above-stated operability.

In the smart building system 510, there is a computing device 512 that operates with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. The system and/or computing device, such as intelligent building system 510 and/or computing device 512, may employ any of a number of computer operating systems. Examples of computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with computing device 512 include, but are not limited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thick clients, hand-held or laptop computer devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, computer workstations, servers, desktop computers, notebook computers, network devices, mainframe computer systems, distributed cloud computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computing device 512 is described in the general context of computer system-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer system. Generally, program modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Computing device 512 may be practiced in distributed cloud computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer system storage media including memory storage devices.

As shown in fig. 5, the computing device 512 in the intelligent building system 510 is in the form of a general purpose computing device, the computing device 512 being improved upon by the operation and functionality of the intelligent building system 512, the method thereof, and/or the elements thereof. Components of computing device 512 may include, but are not limited to, one or more processors or processing units 514, a memory 516, and a bus (or communications channel) 518, which may take the form of a bus, a wired or wireless network, or other form coupling various included system components to processor 514 and system memory 516. Computing device 512 also typically includes a variety of computer system readable media. Such media can be any available media that can be accessed by computing device 512 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media.

The processor 514 may receive the computer-readable program instructions from the memory 516 and execute these instructions, thereby performing one or more processes defined by the intelligent building system 510. The processor 514 may include any processing hardware, software, or combination of hardware and software utilized by the computing device 514 to execute computer-readable program instructions by performing arithmetic, logical, and/or input/output operations. Examples of processor 514 include, but are not limited to, an arithmetic logic unit that performs arithmetic and logical operations; a control unit that fetches instructions from memory, decodes the instructions, and executes the instructions; and an array unit using a plurality of parallel computing elements.

The memory 516 may include a tangible device that holds and stores computer-readable program instructions provided by the smart building system 510 for use by the processor 514 of the computing device 512. Memory 516 may include computer system readable media in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory 520, cache memory 522, and/or storage system 524.

By way of example only, a storage system 524 may be provided for reading from and writing to non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media (not shown and commonly referred to as a "hard drive" (mechanical or solid state)). Although not shown, a magnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk (e.g., a "floppy disk") and an optical disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable, nonvolatile optical disk (e.g., a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or other optical media) may be provided. In these examples, each may be connected to bus 518 by one or more data media interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below, memory 516 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out operations of embodiments of the present invention. Storage system 524 (and/or memory 516) may include a database, data repository, or other data storage, and may include various mechanisms for storing, accessing, and retrieving various data, including a hierarchical database, a set of files in a file system, an application database in a proprietary format, a relational database management system (RDBMS), and so forth. As illustrated, a storage system 524 may generally be included within the computing device 512, the storage system 524 employing a computer operating system such as one of the computer operating systems mentioned above and being accessed via a network in any one or more of a variety of ways.

By way of example, and not limitation, a program/utility 526 having a set (at least one) of program modules 528, and an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data may be stored in memory 516. Each of the operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data, or some combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networking environment. The program modules 528 generally perform the operations and/or methods of embodiments of the present invention as described herein.

Bus 518 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

Computing device 512 may also communicate via input/output (I/O) interfaces 530 and/or via network adapters 532. The I/O interface 530 and/or network adapter 532 may comprise physical and/or virtual mechanisms utilized by the computing device 512 to communicate between elements internal and/or external to the computing device 512. For example, I/O interface 530 may communicate with: one or more external devices 540, such as a keyboard, pointing device, display 540, etc.; one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computing device 512; and/or any device (e.g., network card, modem, etc.) that enables computing device 512 to communicate with one or more other computing devices. Further, computing device 512 may communicate with one or more networks, such as a Local Area Network (LAN), a general Wide Area Network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g., the internet) via network adapter 532. Thus, the I/O interface 530 and/or the network adapter 532 may be configured to receive or transmit signals or data within the computing device 512 or for the computing device 512. As depicted, I/O interface 530 and network adapter 532 communicate with the other components of computing device 512 via bus 518. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardware and/or software components may be used in conjunction with the computing device 512. Examples include (but are not limited to): microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data archive storage systems, among others.

While a single item (and other items) of the intelligent building system 510 are illustrated by fig. 5, these representations are not intended to be limiting, and thus, any item may represent multiple items. In general, a computing device may include a processor (e.g., the processor 514 of fig. 5) and a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., the memory 516 of fig. 5), where the processor receives computer-readable program instructions, for example, from the computer-readable storage medium, and executes these instructions, thereby performing one or more processes, including one or more of the processes described herein.

The computer-readable program instructions may be compiled or interpreted from a computer program created using: assembler program instructions, instruction Set Architecture (ISA) instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language (e.g., smalltalk, C + +, etc.) and a conventional procedural programming language (e.g., the "C" programming language or similar programming languages). The computer-readable program instructions may execute entirely on the computing device, partly on the computing device, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the local computing device and partly on the remote computing device or entirely on the remote computing device. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the local computer through any type of network, including a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Wide Area Network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet service provider). In some embodiments, an electronic circuit comprising, for example, a programmable logic circuit, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Programmable Logic Array (PLA), can execute computer-readable program instructions to perform aspects of the invention by personalizing the electronic circuit with state information of the computer-readable program instructions. The computer-readable program instructions described herein may also be downloaded to a corresponding computing/processing device from a computer-readable storage medium, or to an external computer or external storage device via a network (e.g., any combination of communication-enabled computing devices and connections). For example, the network may be the internet, a local area network, a wide area network, and/or a wireless network, including copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmissions, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and/or edge servers, and utilize a variety of communication technologies, such as radio technologies, cellular technologies, and the like.

The computer-readable storage medium may be a tangible device that retains and stores instructions for use by an instruction execution device (e.g., a computing device as described above). The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic memory device, a magnetic memory device, an optical memory device, an electromagnetic memory device, a semiconductor memory device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanical coding device (e.g., raised structures in punched cards or grooves having instructions recorded thereon), and any suitable combination of the foregoing. As used herein, a computer-readable storage medium will not be understood to be a transitory signal in nature, such as a radio wave or other freely propagating electromagnetic wave, an electromagnetic wave propagating through a waveguide or other transmission medium (e.g., a light pulse through a fiber optic cable), or an electrical signal transmitted over a wire.

Accordingly, the intelligent building system and methods and/or elements thereof may be implemented on one or more computing devices as computer-readable program instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium associated therewith. The computer program product may include such computer-readable program instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium for carrying and/or causing a processor to perform the operations of the building systems and methods. The intelligent building system implemented and/or claimed improves the functioning of the computer and/or processor itself by enabling a seamless user experience between the elevator and the system by means of direct calculation of the user position and direction which further serves to deliver faster and more convenient elevator access.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable program instructions.

These computer-readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the operations/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer-readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the instructions comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of the operation/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices implement the operations/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, operability, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical operation(s). In some alternative embodiments, the operations described in the blocks may occur out of the order described in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the operability involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems which perform the specified operations or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The description of various embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is selected to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application, or technical improvements to the technology found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of further features, integers, steps, operations, element components, and/or groups thereof.

The flow chart depicted herein is just one example. There may be many variations to this diagram or the steps (or operations) described therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, the steps may be performed in a differing order, or steps may be added, deleted or modified. All of these variations are considered a part of the present invention.

While the preferred embodiment to the invention has been described, it will be understood that those skilled in the art, both now and in the future, may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow. These claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first described.

Claims

1. A method in an intelligent building system, comprising:

establishing a proximity environment with respect to an elevator within a building;

detecting a location of a user device within the proximity environment;

determining, by a processor, a source floor and a destination floor corresponding to the user device by accessing a user preference corresponding to the user device, the user preference indicating the source floor and the destination floor; and

generating, by the processor, an elevator call to the elevator according to the source floor and the destination floor after a proximity system detects the user device is within a predetermined distance from the elevator, the elevator call based on whether the proximity of the user device to the elevator is an immediate elevator call or a delayed elevator call,

wherein the proximity environment comprises a first virtual perimeter and a second virtual perimeter, a distance between the second virtual perimeter and the elevator is greater than a distance between the first virtual perimeter and the elevator, and

wherein the method further comprises:

triggering, on the user device, a prompt to verify whether a user carrying the user device is leaving the building upon detecting that the user device crosses the first virtual perimeter and enters an area defined by the second virtual perimeter; and

activating a security system of the building upon detecting the user device crossing the second virtual perimeter and exiting the building.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of the source floor and the destination floor further comprises:

processing a pre-request received before the user device traverses the proximity environment.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein each virtual perimeter is dynamically generated around a predefined set of boundaries relative to the elevator.

4. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

communicating the elevator call to the user device.

5. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the generating the elevator call to the elevator further comprises:

determining an arrival time of the user device at the elevator in response to the motion of the user device.

6. An intelligent building system, the system comprising a processor and a memory, the processor configured to:

detecting a location of a user device within the proximity environment;

determining a source floor and a destination floor corresponding to the user device by accessing user preferences corresponding to the user device, the user preferences indicating the source floor and the destination floor; and

generating an elevator call to the elevator from the source floor and the destination floor after a proximity system detects the user device is within a predetermined distance from the elevator, the elevator call based on whether the proximity of the user device to the elevator is an immediate elevator call or a delayed elevator call,

wherein the proximity environment includes a first virtual perimeter and a second virtual perimeter, a distance between the second virtual perimeter and the elevator is greater than a distance between the first virtual perimeter and the elevator, and

wherein the processor is further configured to: triggering, on the user device, a prompt to verify whether the user carrying the user device is leaving a building upon detecting that the user device crosses the first virtual perimeter and enters an area defined by the second virtual perimeter; and

7. The intelligent building system of claim 6, the processor further configured to, with respect to the determination of the source floor and the destination floor:

processing a pre-request received before the user device passes through a proximity environment.

8. The intelligent building system of claim 6 or 7, wherein each virtual perimeter is dynamically generated around a predefined set of boundaries relative to the elevator.

9. The intelligent building system of claim 6 or 7, in connection with the generating the elevator call to the elevator, the processor is further configured to: